Younger shoppers show a stronger emotional involvement with self-checkout technology than older consumers and it boosts satisfaction for them as a result, a new study in Sainsbury’s stores has revealed.

The project, led by Dr Nadia Olivero from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, UCL, and funded by the European Commission, was designed to show the emotional impact of in-store technologies and their effect on consumer experience.

It featured a survey of 400 consumers in Sainsbury’s stores in various London and UK locations.

The study found age and self-efficacy have a strong impact on technology adoption.

While younger shoppers bond with technology, such as self-checkout and, as a result, enjoy a better shopping trip; older consumers show less of an emotional attachment. A lower level of self-efficacy means older shoppers are also less accepting of in-store technologies.

In a separate initiative, Dr Olivero has been funded by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) to conduct research on retail innovation, also in partnership with Sainsbury’s.

The £400,000 project will test a new approach for in-store mobile-based consumer research, which merges different sources of consumer data and measures the consumer’s experience in real time.

The project has been designed by Dr Olivero, who is leading a team of spatial analysts and consumer psychologists, working with the digital team of Sainsbury’s, to develop new technologies.

The first wave of data collection will be carried out in Sainsbury’s stores by the end of the month (November) and will involve the participation of AIMIA, which manages the Nectar loyalty programme, in the recruitment of Nectar card holders.